Etymograph

English

obtain

Obtain comes from Middle English obteinen, from Anglo-Norman obtenir, from Latin obtineō ‘to gain, possess’ (ob- + teneō ‘to hold’).

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEteneō1‘to hold’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEobtineō1‘to gain, possess’
  3. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400obtenir1
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500obteinen1
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1526obtain1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English obtain
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1526, [William Tyndale, The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible): “And a certayne ruler axed him: sayinge: Goode Master:…”.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEteneōWiktionary, English obtain‘to hold’
  2. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEobtineōWiktionary, English obtain‘to gain, possess’
  3. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400obtenirWiktionary, English obtain
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500obteinenWiktionary, English obtain
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1526obtainWiktionary, English obtain. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1526, [William Tyndale, The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible): “And a certayne ruler axed him: sayinge: Goode Master:…”

Word family

English words that share an ancestor with obtain, grouped by the ancestor they share, most familiar first.

through Proto-Indo-European *ten- ‘to stretch, extend’

  • content ← contenten ← contentus#Etymology_2 ← contineō ← teneō
  • continue ← continuen ← continuer ← continuō ← continuus
  • tight ← *þiht ← *þį̄ht(ī) ← *þinhtaz ← *tenkt-
  • tone ← ton ← tonus ← τόνος ← τείνω
  • tennis ← tennys ← tenir ← tenīre ← teneo
  • ton ← tonus ← τόνος ← *tónos ← *tón-os
  • tune ← ton ← tonus ← τόνος ← *tónos
  • maintenance ← mayntenaunce ← maintenir ← manus tenēre
  • entertainment ← entretenement ← entretenement
  • tender ← tendre ← tener
  • continuous ← continuus ← contineō ← teneō ← *tenēō
  • detention ← detentio ← dētineō ← teneō ← *tenēō

101 more relatives in the full family tree

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Today it means

verb To get hold of; to gain possession of, to procure; to acquire, in any way.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “obtain”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Latin teneō / obtain